Patient Richland bank robber caught after he left fingerprints behind on the holdup note

A discarded note, muddy shoe print and a hotel key led to the arrest of a man suspected in a January bank robbery.

Nelson Geovanni Mejia, Jr., 25, is accused of robbing the Chase Bank on Queensgate Drive about 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 12.

He is being held in the Benton County jail with bail set at $750,000 on charges of first-degree robbery and possession of a stolen car.

Mejia walked into the bank allegedly wearing muddy Nike Air Force 1’s and left a shoe print behind.

He waited patiently in line before allegedly handing a teller an index card that said, “If you don’t want to get shot give me all the money peacefully and no one will get hurt,” according to court records.

The teller then handed over just over $4,000 and the man left.

However, he left his note behind before driving away in a stolen Honda Pilot. according to court records.

Investigators discovered three fingerprints on the card that they say matched Mejia.

Police found the Pilot parked in the area of A Street and Road 40. Inside officers found a pack of index cards and a face mask that matched one worn during the robbery.

Investigators said the muddy shoe print inside of the bank also matches one outside of the car.

In the week after the holdup, police received several tips, including ones that linked Mejia to the robbery, according to court records. At the time, he had been arrested on a state Department of Corrections allegation in Franklin County for probation issues on some previous convictions.

When he was being booked in Pasco, police found a key for the Red Lion Inn. In the room they discovered $500 in cash. Investigators also learned Mejia had paid $1,800 in cash to buy a car for a family member on Jan. 13.

When he was questioned by police, Mejia denied being involved with the robbery, and claimed to be at a bar at that time, though he wouldn’t give the name of the bar.

Then in March, West Richland police arrested Mejia for having a stolen bike. In the meantime, Richland police had confirmed that Mejia was their suspected bank robber.

Richland police just recently reported on Facebook his charge for that crime. His trial is set for May 16.